Tribal Warfare
12-18-2008, 10:39 PM
Q&A with HERM EDWARDS - 12/18 (http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2008/12/18/qa_with_herm_edwards__1218/)
Dec 18, 2008, 3:03:21 PM
Highlights
Q: When you look at Miami, they do some novel things on offense, sort of like you do on occasion - the “Wildcat” and whatever. How much are they using that now?
HERM EDWARDS: “About 80 plays into the season. They run it and it’s a little bit of a change-up, unbalanced, and it creates some problems for you if you don’t do it right, especially with the linebackers and the line if you’re not in your right gaps. They’ve made a lot of big plays out of it. It’s kind of unique.
“It harks back a little bit to Arkansas. One of the coaches on their staff is from Arkansas so they ran some of that stuff. You’ve got to be very fundamentally sound and know your gaps because that’s what you see. They run it for one or two yards and sometimes they lose some yards and then all of a sudden it’s a 40 yard run. They’ve got a couple of passes off of it, but it’s a unique formation.”
Q: Can Ronnie Brown throw it?
EDWARDS: “He’s thrown it some. Yeah, Chad has thrown one or they run a reverse where they throw it back to Chad and the tight end slips across the field. Most of it is run, but they’ve got some passes off it.”
Q: You’ve had two full practices now since the disappointment of last week and then with the events of this week. Do you believe you have your team’s attention?
EDWARDS: “Yeah, they’re focused. They’re a good group of guys, they really are. They understand where we’re at right now. They understand that they’re playing a good football team and they’re playing their last home game. That’s what I keep emphasizing this season. We’ve got to do a lot of things right to beat these guys. They’re a solid football team with a lot of veteran guys.
Q: Playing at Arrowhead Stadium used to be a distinct advantage for you. But not this year. How do you get that back. What’s happened out there? Is it just as simple as rebuilding?
EDWARDS: “I think the fans have been great. When you struggle the way we’ve struggled, and we’ve played some pretty competitive games for the most part at home, but just haven’t got it done. The fans are going through it like the football team is and they’ve been outstanding. It’ll get back. Once we start winning it’ll come back. They’ve been loud but you’ve got to give them something to cheer about and we haven’t done enough of that.”
Q: How does that running back combo of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams compare to some of the others you’ve seen this year?
EDWARDS: “Tennessee’s good, Oakland’s good. Ricky is strong and fast and Ronnie has great feet. These are big strong backs. You’ve got to tackle well against these guys now. With the weather and all ball security will be important and the kicking game, I think, will be important.”
Q: How much does the weather play into the game plan?
EDWARDS: “It’s been cold. It’s the footing. You don’t know that until you go onto the field. But the play’s tough. It’ll be a factor probably.”
Q: Does it give you an advantage?
EDWARDS: “It’s not like we’re used to it. People are not used to playing in those kinds of conditions. We don’t practice in it a lot because you don’t get anything out of practice with guys all bundled up and can’t move. It’s a mental deal, it’s a mental challenge.”
Q: When you were in Tampa and had to play in a cold weather city what was the feeling?
EDWARDS: “We weren’t very good for a long time if it got under 32 (degrees) even when we had good teams. When it got under 32 people started laughing. We didn’t fare too well. We played a lot of tight games and just didn’t get it done and until you get it done they always say it’s the temperature.”
Q: Of all the free agents who don’t make it, Joey Porter is a guy who did. What does he mean to them?
EDWARDS: “He plays with an attitude and plays with a lot of confidence. Talks a little bit and gets after guys. He’s a lightning rod and the one who gets them all stirred up. He has something like 17 sacks. He’s playing well and they’re playing well. They stunt him some and he does a good job.”
Dec 18, 2008, 3:03:21 PM
Highlights
Q: When you look at Miami, they do some novel things on offense, sort of like you do on occasion - the “Wildcat” and whatever. How much are they using that now?
HERM EDWARDS: “About 80 plays into the season. They run it and it’s a little bit of a change-up, unbalanced, and it creates some problems for you if you don’t do it right, especially with the linebackers and the line if you’re not in your right gaps. They’ve made a lot of big plays out of it. It’s kind of unique.
“It harks back a little bit to Arkansas. One of the coaches on their staff is from Arkansas so they ran some of that stuff. You’ve got to be very fundamentally sound and know your gaps because that’s what you see. They run it for one or two yards and sometimes they lose some yards and then all of a sudden it’s a 40 yard run. They’ve got a couple of passes off of it, but it’s a unique formation.”
Q: Can Ronnie Brown throw it?
EDWARDS: “He’s thrown it some. Yeah, Chad has thrown one or they run a reverse where they throw it back to Chad and the tight end slips across the field. Most of it is run, but they’ve got some passes off it.”
Q: You’ve had two full practices now since the disappointment of last week and then with the events of this week. Do you believe you have your team’s attention?
EDWARDS: “Yeah, they’re focused. They’re a good group of guys, they really are. They understand where we’re at right now. They understand that they’re playing a good football team and they’re playing their last home game. That’s what I keep emphasizing this season. We’ve got to do a lot of things right to beat these guys. They’re a solid football team with a lot of veteran guys.
Q: Playing at Arrowhead Stadium used to be a distinct advantage for you. But not this year. How do you get that back. What’s happened out there? Is it just as simple as rebuilding?
EDWARDS: “I think the fans have been great. When you struggle the way we’ve struggled, and we’ve played some pretty competitive games for the most part at home, but just haven’t got it done. The fans are going through it like the football team is and they’ve been outstanding. It’ll get back. Once we start winning it’ll come back. They’ve been loud but you’ve got to give them something to cheer about and we haven’t done enough of that.”
Q: How does that running back combo of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams compare to some of the others you’ve seen this year?
EDWARDS: “Tennessee’s good, Oakland’s good. Ricky is strong and fast and Ronnie has great feet. These are big strong backs. You’ve got to tackle well against these guys now. With the weather and all ball security will be important and the kicking game, I think, will be important.”
Q: How much does the weather play into the game plan?
EDWARDS: “It’s been cold. It’s the footing. You don’t know that until you go onto the field. But the play’s tough. It’ll be a factor probably.”
Q: Does it give you an advantage?
EDWARDS: “It’s not like we’re used to it. People are not used to playing in those kinds of conditions. We don’t practice in it a lot because you don’t get anything out of practice with guys all bundled up and can’t move. It’s a mental deal, it’s a mental challenge.”
Q: When you were in Tampa and had to play in a cold weather city what was the feeling?
EDWARDS: “We weren’t very good for a long time if it got under 32 (degrees) even when we had good teams. When it got under 32 people started laughing. We didn’t fare too well. We played a lot of tight games and just didn’t get it done and until you get it done they always say it’s the temperature.”
Q: Of all the free agents who don’t make it, Joey Porter is a guy who did. What does he mean to them?
EDWARDS: “He plays with an attitude and plays with a lot of confidence. Talks a little bit and gets after guys. He’s a lightning rod and the one who gets them all stirred up. He has something like 17 sacks. He’s playing well and they’re playing well. They stunt him some and he does a good job.”